Content Vocab in A Thousand Splendid Suns

•worn by some Muslim women when they appear in public burqa •worn by some Muslim women when they appear in public •covers the entire body, a head covering, and a veil that covers the face

Harami •Arabic word for “bastard” •outcast by society •must bear the shame of the parent •Miriam is called harami in the first line in the book

Taliban •Sunni Muslim extremists •Ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001 •Imposed strict Sharia law in the Muslim world (terrorists)

Jihad •Term for holy war against the enemies of Islam (infidels) •Any type of struggle in the name of Allah

Mujaheedan •The Afghani and Pakistani insurgents •Fought against Soviet rule in the 20th Century •can also refer to anyone who fights for Allah

- hut kolba •Miriam’s childhood home is the kolba

daal •a common dish in Afghani cuisine •a stew made of dried beans

Allah Arabic for ‘God’

Ramadan •The most sacred month of the year •Lasts 29-30 days •Takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar •Involves fasting, abstaining from intimate relationships, and smoking

Eid •Three day celebration that marks the end of Ramadan •It begins with the sighting of the new moon •Consists of special rituals and prayers

Koran Qur’an •The sacred text of Islam •Considered to be the word of God as expressed to the Profit Muhammad

Mullah •Muslim man who studies Islamic law and practices •member of the Islamic clergy •Mullah Faizullah teaches Miriam the Koran and how to read and write